Many were praying that Paul had made an uncharacteristic mistake, as the results of his prediction were aired on German news channel n-tv.

Paul makes his predictions by eating mussels from one of two containers – one adorned with the German flag and the other with that of their opponents.

While his reputation and 100 per cent record remains intact, Paul’s popularity has plummeted following Germany’s defeat, with fans on Berlin’s ‘fan mile’ expressing their anger by chanting anti-octopus songs.

There have also been ‘a host of comments on Facebook, Twitter … suggesting Paul should be fried, barbecued or turned into a seafood salad or paella’, according to Der Western daily news. ‘Others wanted to throw him into the shark tank’ the paper continued.

If Paul manages to survive the wrath of the German fans, he is set to make the final prediction of his World Cup – the third-place play-off between Germany and Uruguay.